Advice From Your Future Self: An Exercise That Can Change Your Life
What if you could get advice from yourself, when you’re 20 years older?
You don’t need an expert. Just you, two decades older. A version of you who has lived through the choices you're making today. The person who knows how it all turns out.
This simple thought experiment can give you the clarity you didn’t know you were missing. It can wake you up. It can guide you. And it might just change the way you live, starting now.
Step 1: The Wake-Up Call – If Nothing Changes
Close your eyes and imagine this:
It’s 20 years from today. You’ve followed the same habits, routines, and patterns you have now. You stayed too busy to exercise and spend time with family and friends. You kept scrolling to entertain and distract yourself. You stayed in the same job. You continued eating and drinking as you do now. You put off saving and investing enough. You put off the doctor visits. You didn’t prioritize sleep. You kept saying "someday" to your big goals and dreams.
So, after 20 years of the same:
How’s your health and fitness? How do you look and feel?
What’s the state of your relationships?
What’s your financial situation?
Are you fulfilled and proud? Or do you have some regrets?
Take a few minutes and write the answers to these questions.
Now it’s time to get that advice from the future you:
What should I change?
What habits should I stop?
What habits should I start?
What should my priorities be?
What should I stop putting off?
Now you know where you’ll end up if you don’t make these changes.
Let’s shift the perspective to something more positive.
Step 2: Your Best Possible Life
Now imagine a second version of your life, also 20 years ahead – but this time, things are very different, because you made some changes in your life.
Envision the best possible version of yourself in 20 years. Everything in your life has worked out perfectly, and you are living your ideal life.
Take a few minutes and write down some thoughts about this best possible version of yourself. It can help to include a few words and phrases about each of the key parts of your life:
Business/Career
Relationships
Health/Fitness
Financial
Environment/Home
Recreation/Fun
Personal Development
Service/Contributions
This version of your future isn’t a fantasy – it’s a possibility.
It’s up to you to make it happen, since it all depends on what you start doing now.
Step 3: Ask Your Future Self for Advice
Now picture yourself sitting across from that best-future-you. They’re wise, they’re firm yet kind, and they want the best for you. (So that you can turn into them!)
Ask your future self:
What changes do I need to make?
What do I need to start doing today?
What positive habits should I start?
What bad habits do I need to stop?
What is worth the effort, risk, or discomfort?
What should I stop wasting time or energy on?
What will bring me the most happiness?
Write down the advice from your future self. Don’t worry if you feel silly – you’re the only one who will ever see this. But it can change your life if you do it.
Step 4: Take One Action Today
Now take what your future self told you, and act on it.
Start with just one change. Make one decision, or start or stop one habit. Start small, but start now.
Whatever it is, your future self will thank you.
Start Now!
It’s easy to fool yourself into thinking that you’ll make changes later, when you have more time, or more money, or fewer things on your plate. But days turn into months turn into years, and that’s how you end up with that first version of yourself in 20 years.
Instead, ask yourself: In 20 years, what will I wish I had started sooner?
Then do that thing. Starting today.
To make sure you follow through on your planned changes, get the free Ideal Day App.
At Happiful, our mission is to help you design and live your ideal life.
